As gas crisis deepens, businessmen look towards coal

Mineral to be used to power new industrial estate in Peshawar.

FAISALABAD: As the severity of the gas crisis sinks into businesspersons’ consciousness, Pakistan’s first-ever industrial park that will run power plants on coal is on the cards.

A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed today (Thursday) between the Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) and the Export Processing Zones Authority for the establishment of an EPZ in the M-3 Industrial City, Faisalabad.

FIEDMC has planned a 50 megawatt coal-based power house on the site in order to supply uninterrupted electricity to the industries hosted in the project. Land for the power station has been allocated, and work on it will be initiated soon in collaboration with the Punjab Energy Department, FIEDMC Chief Operating Officer Aamer Saleemi has said.

Saleemi said that prime land spread over 200 acres in the M-3 Industrial City has been earmarked for the EPZ, where state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities will be provided by FIEDMC. These include uninterrupted power supply, offshore bank branches and customs clearance offices, etc.

He added that a labour colony, a trauma centre, a hospital, a vocational training institute, a burns centre and a spacious country club will also be developed on the industrial estate. He said the proposed EPZ would not only encourage exports of textile, but also open its doors to exports of chemical engineering and pharmaceuticals, in addition to helping the establishment of a chain of textile vendors.

The M-3 Industrial City sprawls over 4,500 acres of land, and is strategically located on the eastern side of the M-3 Motorway. The area enjoys direct access to all leading consumption and raw material centres of the country, in addition to the port city of Karachi and the Faisalabad Dry Port.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2013.

Like Business on Facebook to stay informed and join in the conversation.